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TRAINING

city: Berlin
country: Germany
genre: Indie, Jazz
styles: Alternative, Post-Rock, Free Jazz, Ambient, Noise

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on hashbrandnew.com since September 05, 2024

credits: Tobias Friedauer

label
Squama

threads to knot

out on October 18, 2024

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Berlin-based duo TRAINING team up with bassist Ruth Goller for their new album ‘threads to knot’. Frenetic free-jazz is sitting next to post-rock riffs and looming microtonal atmospheres.
The record was written in a truly collaborative effort, adapting the concept of ‘cadavre exquis’, the popular drawing game: One person would start writing a few notes before passing it on to the next, revealing only the very last note, with which the composition continues.
TRAINING is comprised of drummer Max Andrzejewski and sax player Johannes Schleiermacher, whose last album ‘Three Seconds’ saw them collaborate with Deerhoof guitarist John Dieterich.
Ruth Goller, who has been hailed by the Guardian for her 'thunderous bass-guitar hooks' and has made waves this year with the release of her second album 'Skyllumina'. She’s also known as a live performer with Kit Downes, Alabaster de Plume, Melt Yourself Down among others.

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“The trio craft an evolving industrial jazz with a powerful industrial core” ★★★★ MOJO

Today (18 Oct) TRAINING + Ruth Goller have shared their album threads to knot, via German tastemaker label Squama Recordings. On threads to knot, Berlin duo TRAINING bring skittering jazz drums, effect-warped saxophone and modular synth wizardry to the hands of Ruth Goller, who’s earth shaking, explosive bass playing can suddenly swap to slinky and nimble riffs in the blink of an eye. As an album it breaks free of traditional genre tags as frenetic drum beats pulsate under looming, microtonal bass atmospheres, saxophones and synthesisers contort their sounds to the very limits of their ranges. TRAINING + Ruth Goller have created their new album threads to knot using an approach based on an old French parlour game called cadavre exquis. It directly translates to exquisite corpse, although the idea is not nearly as dark as it sounds. The aim of the game is to draw a picture, often of a human, with each player adding a section to the drawing in sequence, being allowed to see only the end of what the previous person contributed. The resulting image is a snapshot of equal collaboration in action. By embracing the potential for chaos, the final result is always totally unique. The trio wanted to write music in a completely new way, being completely collaborative but also novel, exciting and experimental. Using the cadavre exquis system, one person would write several bars or music, but then pass only the last bar, or sometimes only the last two notes, onto the next, then the same again to the next player and so on until a song's skeleton, or exquisite corpse, was formed. The thirst for non-traditional methods of the group was not quite slaked with the unique compositions, as jazz players and experimentalists, “At least 60% of the record was totally improved playing together in the studio,” explains Andrzejewski.

Speaking further on the album, drummer Max Andrzejewski offers: ”This album was born through a true collaborative effort. It’s such a great feeling to find different ways to invent music together. (Because in our Jazz- or Composed-music-world often one person of the band is doing that alone.) Working on this music (with our Cadavre Exquis - concept) felt a bit like being in a teenage band again, but with the twist that all the compositions are connected. One piece influenced the next piece, and this one the next and so on.. very satisfying. We also were excited like teenagers when Ruth came to Berlin several times to rehearse our sketches - and then decide together what to do with them… a beautiful process. And Daniel Freitag did a great job with recording and mixing! So: here it is. Released in yet another beautiful team effort by Martin and Max from Squama - thank you all!!

Berlin based TRAINING are made up of drummer Max Andrzejewski and saxophonist Johannes Schleiermacher, with the two also playing guitar and various synthesizers within the band. After developing their unique style of free jazz drums and live effect-processed sax, the duo reached out to other collaborators to expand on their sound. The first fruit born from this approach was a project with Deerhoof guitarist John Dieterich, creating the album ‘Three Seconds’, released in 2021. Hailed by The Guardian for her “thunderous bass-guitar hooks”, as well as high praise from Jazzwise, The Quietus and Guitar World. Ruth Goller helped lay the foundation for the UK’s jazz renaissance whilst playing in many of its most influential and popular bands. From her years on stage with Acoustic Ladyland and Melt Yourself Down, to more recently Let Spin and Vula Viel, whilst performing and recording with the likes of Shabaka Hutchings, Mercury-Award nominee Kit Downes, Sam Amidon, Bojan Z, Marc Ribot, Rokia Traoré and Paul McCartney. The new collaboration between TRAINING + Ruth Goller is the next step in an already productive working relationship; Andrzejewski having been one of the drummers to play on Gollers SKYLUMINA, amongst others such as Sons of Kemet / The Smile drummer Tom Skinner.”

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